Pichu in The Outlaw's forest
by PichuInTheSky
Summary: What would happen if an innocent little Pichu wandered into the most dangerous forest ever?
1. Summary & Chapter 1-into the forest

_**Readers:** Sorry if this page looks really jumbled up._ _Read it from the top and it'll make a bit more sense. It's basically the summary, then the acknowledgements, and then it crashes straight into the first chapter, which is from Pichu's point of view. The bold parts here and there are the author and Pichu talking between paragraphs/chapters. It's mainly arguing, as Pichu can be a bit arrogant or mischievous. Enjoy! _**  
**

**SUMMARY**

**Sky: Here's my Summary. Hope ya like it.**

** Pichu: Of COURSE they will. It's about me.**

This is the story of a little wild Pichu (who is a Pokémon, by the way, so if you don't like Pokémon than SHOO). This is a story of how it was heading from Kanto to Johto to see its friends, Pikachu-Colored Pichu and Spiky Eared Pichu, but when it was sneaking onto a boat to get there, Pichu stowed away on the wrong ship and ended up in Fleyra(a completely different region) by accident. Epic mistake. But when it hid in the Outlaw's forest to get away from some crazy trainers, Pichu finds itself on the most dangerous adventure of its life…

**Sky: NOTE: Fleyra is _not_ a real region. It was made up. However, you will see many familiar Pokemon there from different regions. **

**Pichu:That last line made you sound like a tour guide.  
**

**Sky: *indignantly* I do NOT.  
**

**Pichu: Oh yes you do.**

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS **

_This story is for Silv, short for RivalSilverFan. You're my inspiration. You're awesome and so are your stories. Please don't stop writing. _

**Pichu: Who's RivalSilverFan?**

**Sky: A friend of mine. She's awesome.**

**Pichu: Bet she's not as awesome as me.**

**Sky: Bet she is. **

***quarrelling***

**CHAPTER 1**

**Sky: Hello! I don't own Pokémon. Uh oh…*looks worried* that's Silv's line. Whoops. She's gonna kill me for using it.**

**Haxorus: *appears suddenly* she sure will!**

**Sky: Ack! What are you doing here?! **

**Haxorus: Nothing.**

**Pichu: *tugs on Sky's sleeve to get her attention* Sky, please tell the big freaky dragon guy to go away. He's freaking me out. **

**Haxorus: (to Pichu) Watch your language.*claws start glowing blue***

**Sky: Whoa whoa whoa people. No need to get excited. Just pipe down a little so I can get this story started.**

So here I was in Fleyra. I didn't mean to get here-it was a TOTAL accident (a daft, ridiculous accident, but still an accident). Unfortunately, the next ferry ride to Kan-Joh wasn't going to be happening for a while, so it looks like I'm gonna be staying a while. For the past few days, I've been constantly running and hiding, not because I'm a coward, but because you don't usually see Pichus in Fleyra. If someone saw me, they'd try to catch me for sure. Right now I'm hiding behind a hedge on the side of a path. I need to stay hidden. I need to keep moving. I need to…wait, was that an Oran berry bush over there?

Forgetting about secrecy, I scampered over to check. Yeah! This _was _an Oran berry bush. Oran berries were my favorite. They were delicious, juicy, and for some reason, eating them always made me feel stronger. I hadn't eaten all day. Without hesitating, I plucked a big juicy one. But before I could take a single bite, two trainers, a boy and a girl, came down the path. And here I was, totally unprepared.

They spotted me immediately. "Awww, what is it? Its sooooo cute!" the girl squealed in delight. She looked ridiculously girly, wearing bright pink clothes with more ribbons than I'd ever seen in my life. Her companion, the boy, scrolled through his Pokedex and frowned."I don't have it listed here on my Pokedex…" "Oh, forget the silly Pokedex!" the girl said. She pulled a Pokeball out of her bag and grinned at me. "Don't worry, little Pokémon! You're gonna be MY Pokémon from now on!"

Until now, I'd been frozen in fear. But seeing that Pokeball in her hand made a surge of panic run through me. I turned, dropped the Oran berry I'd been about to eat and ran for the safety of a shady forest about ten meters away. Behind me, I heard the two trainers send out their Pokémon (to beat me up so one of them could catch me) - "Go! Blitzle! Get that Pokémon!" "I choose you! Pidgey! Let's go!" I ran faster than I knew I could and dove into some bushes just within the forest's boundaries. I peeked through the leaves; sure they would still pursue me. But to my surprise, the trainers and their Pokémon skidded to a stop in front of the forest and gazed fearfully at it. "That's the Outlaw's forest!" the girl whimpered. The boy grabbed her wrist and tugged her away, also looking scared. "Come on. We shouldn't be here." he said. They ran away as fast as they could, their Pokémon in close pursuit.

**Sky: So whaddaya think of the first chapter?**

**Pichu:*sulkily* Aw man, I didn't get any Oran berries…**

**Sky: Forget the berries. I mean the CHAPTER.**

**Pichu: What chapter?**

**Sky: *sighs* Never mind. **


	2. A little exploring

**CHAPTER 2**

**Sky: Wow I can't believe I've already started chapter 2.**

**Pichu: Huh? Last time I checked, you were still on the summary.**

**Sky: Oh, forget it.**

Despite the fact that those two trainers had been terrified by this forest, I decided to explore a bit. I'm really curious. I dunno why though. I just explore. I scampered around, happily exploring. The forest was a bit shady, but I didn't care. For a while, I just skipped along, watching my feet. My friends always told me this was a bad habit because I wasn't looking where I was going. But looking at my feet go back and forth was just so mesmerizing-left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, left…

After a while I realized I'd gone really deep into the forest. WAY too deep. I looked up and saw that the trees had gotten thicker and tanglier, the light dimmer. Wait…had it gotten late? Or had the trees blocked the sunlight? The trees were like a cage, curling around me, blotting out the light. My breathing got faster and faster until I was practically hyperventilating. I _hated _small spaces. (That's why I was so terrified of being captured by a trainer. I'd be locked in a tiny Pokeball full-time. Horrifying.) I felt like I would go mad if I didn't get out of this dark forest area _right now_.

I started running. Not really in any particular direction though. I just _had_ to get out. I ran until I found a lighter area of the forest, where sunlight shone through the branches and the trees were farther apart. I leant against a tree, gasping for breath. Before I knew it, my eyelids were drooping. I was exhausted. Even before I started wandering the forest, I'd spent days running and hiding from trainers, and it was a long time since I'd had a decent night's rest. I was soon asleep.

I woke to the sound of nearby voices. I mean, I'm no light sleeper, but the loud whispering and footsteps were kinda hard to miss. "Officer Jenny said to catch every Pokémon we see here, 'cause they all are heavily wanted outlaws." A kid's voice said. Outlaw? I was no outlaw. It's not like I could TELL those kids that I wasn't. But then they'd probably catch me anyway. That sent me into panic mode. Though they hadn't spotted me yet, the footsteps were really close. They sounded about four or five steps away. I was standing by a tree trunk, in plain sight. If I moved, they'd see me. If I didn't move, they'd see me anyway. I was stuck.

_"You a dragon Pokémon?"_ an Espeon somewhere in the forest spoke telepathically to me. "_Unh…no."_ I thought back to it. "_Then I'll just ask that Haxorus over there – he looks like he knows Draco Meteor." _it responded. As the footsteps came closer, I thought about how the nearby wild Pokémon might react to protect their home. I remembered something that the Espeon had said: "_– he looks like he knows Draco Meteor." _ Draco Meteor? Wasn't it that super-ultra powerful dragon-type move that unleashed a rain of white meteors? Then that meant…that meant…uh-oh.

Just as the first trainers burst into the area, out of the nearby foliage a Haxorus leaped in front of the humans along with some Garchomp, Druddigon, Dragonite, Flygon, Salamence and Altaria.

White glowing meteors began crashing down. Mere seconds later every Pokémon was heading into its nest-except for me. I didn't have a place to hide, and anyway I was frozen in fear. Meteors were crashing down all around. I unfroze and started to back away, but it was too late for that. A white-hot meteor hit the ground just in front of me and sent me flying twenty feet. The whole world seemed to go white, then black as I hit the ground and passed out.

**Sky: So how was my chapter?**

**Pichu: Nah… needs WAY more awesomeness.**

**Sky: *sighs* is ANYTHING awesome enough for you?**

**Pichu: *happily*Nope.**

**Sky: You are just IMPOSSIBLE.**


	3. What is this place?

**CHAPTER 3**

**Sky: *dramatically* OK now readers, I betcha wanted to see what happens next. Well, here it is.**

**Pichu: *yawns* Bo-ring…is it lunchtime yet?**

**Sky: You just HAD lunch.**

**Pichu: But what about second lunch?**

**Sky: Aw, forget it.**

I thought I was dead at first. Until my tummy rumbled. Dead Pokémon don't get hungry. (Or do they? I dunno.)My eyelids fluttered open. I was lying flat on my back, looking up at the forest canopy. What happened? A flood of memories came back- the forest, the trainers, and of course the Draco Meteor that blasted me twenty feet backwards. I'd landed on my back, and surprisingly, nothing seemed to be hurt. I scrambled up and checked myself all over. NOTHING was broken. I was fine.

Of course, when you survive being blasted twenty feet backwards, there's only one wise thing to do. "I'm alive!" I screamed happily, dancing all around. "I'm ALIVE! I'M ALIVE! I'm - oof!" The 'oof' was because I tripped on a rock and fell flat on my face. "Oww…." Then I settled down and decided on my next steps of action. I put them in a list in my head:-

_Step 1. Find shelter._

_Step 2. Get FOOD._

_Step 3. Explore a bit longer._

_Step 4. Get out of this crazy forest before nightfall._ (This last one is important 'cuz scary Pokemon come out at night.)

I was REALLY looking forward to Step 2, but I needed a good shelter first. I scampered around a bit 'till I spotted a nice hollow tree with an opening at the bottom. I went inside. In there, it was dark and shadowy, and kinda big 'cuz it was a big tree. An ideal place to hide. I curled up in a little corner, hoping for a few seconds of rest… and then, out of nowhere, I found myself pinned to the wall by my neck. By a claw. A sharp one.

I should have known. How could I have been so daft? I'd forgotten to check this hollow tree didn't have a Pokemon already in it. And it did. And it probably didn't like intruders. I heard it hiss in my ear, "Can't a Pokemon rest without little _pests _disturbing it? I should-" its voice changed to confusion. "What _are_ you?"(Remember, you rarely see Pichus in Fleyra.) "Gak." I choked out, which is pretty much all you can say when a claw has you pinned to a wall by your neck. It let me go, and I slid down the wall to the floor, gasping. "What are you?" It repeated. I couldn't see what it was before, but as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see it was a Sneasel with a cruel glare. "I'm a Pichu." I replied. Its eyes took me in, and it snarled. "A runt. Not even worth killing." Questions spilled out of my mouth before I could think. "Why are Pokémon so fierce here? Why do some humans fear this place? And…what _is_ this place?"

The Sneasel laughed, a chilling laugh that sent shivers down my spine. "What _is_ this place? You don't know? This, little pest, is the Outlaw's forest. We're all Outlaws, thieves and traitors. And if you value your life, I suggest you start running. It's nearly sundown, and the fierce ones will soon awaken." I took this all in. These were Outlaws. These were murderous, ruthless Pokémon. And if I stayed, they would kill me without hesitating.

**Sky: So how was that chapter? Good? What do you think, Pichu? Um…Pichu?**

**Pichu: *snore***

**Sky: PICHU! Wake up!**

**Pichu: *wakes up suddenly* Hmm? What? What's going on? **

**Sky: You slept through the whole CHAPTER?!**

**Pichu: Yup.**

**Sky: *sighs* Oh well.**


	4. A rock is not always a rock

**CHAPTER 4**

**Pichu: Hey there readers! **

**Sky: Pichu, do you know where those cookies I made are?**

**Pichu: No…but my tummy does.**

**Sky: You ate ALL TWENTY cookies?!**

**Pichu: Twenty-five! I also ate the five super-tasty ones you were saving for later.**

**Sky: And you didn't leave ANYTHING for me?!**

**Pichu: Well, I ****_did_**** leave you a crumb or two.**

**Sky: Pfft…aw man. **

I stumbled out of the hollow tree and started running. I didn't know where I was really going, though. I just RAN. _Keep going,_ I urged myself._ Keep going, keep going, keep…_oof! The 'oof', once more, was because a big red rock that sent me sprawling on my face. AGAIN. "Ow ow owww…" I turned to the rock furiously. I know it's not very nice to get personal against an innocent rock, but my toe was sore from tripping on it. So I kicked the rock. It didn't move…and now my OTHER toe was sore. "YOW!" I screamed do loudly that some Pidove nesting nearby shot away in terror.

I looked at the rock more closely. It was big and bright red, with little sharp bits…almost like points. It was lying rather peacefully in the shadows of the fading sunlight. All of a sudden, as I looked at it, it opened a big yellow eye. With an angry glare. I then realized that it wasn't a rock. It was the head of a once-sleeping, now-awake, extremely angry Druddigon.

"Oh no…oh no…" I muttered as I backed away from it. The head, very unfortunately for me, was attached to a body, which had been curled under a tree, out of sight. No wonder I didn't see it at first. The Druddigon raised its head from the ground, still glaring, and stood up. It now towered far above me. "Well, what do we have here?" It snarled at me. "A weakling? Did you wake me because you thought you could beat me? Pathetic." I stuttered back to it; "It w-was an accident. N-no harm meant." It hissed back; "Oh really? You are so clumsy that you disturb one of the fiercest Pokémon by _accident_? You really are useless."

Now, I'm a calm little Pichu, but sometimes I just LOSE MY TEMPER. And that comment about being clumsy and useless REALLY ticked me off. So before I knew what I was doing, I TACKLED it with all my strength. You might think that the tackle of a teensy Pichu would have no effect on a Druddigon. But THIS Druddigon was unprepared for my vicious assault. So when I tackled it, it got off balance and swayed back and forth ridiculously, waving its arms around to keep its balance. But unfortunately, it didn't fall over. It DID get really mad, though.

The Druddigon roared so loudly that I almost fell over. It glared at me in hatred. "You DARE attack me? I will KILL you now!" "Yeah, yeah." I replied, not frightened. "My friends ALWAYS say they're gonna kill me whenever I steal their snacks when they're not looking. But they never do. Wait…you don't mean _literally_ kill me, do you?" The Druddigon smiled a very nasty smile and unsheathed its claws. "Yes, I do mean _literally_ kill you." Uh-oh.

**Sky: Thank goodness this chapter is finally over. It took me forever to finish it because I had to keep changing stuff.**

**Pichu: *whining*I'm HUNGRY. **

**Sky: Pichu! You ate twenty-five cookies and you're HUNGRY?!**

**Pichu: Yeah, but that was one minute and thirty-six seconds ago. I'm hungry NOW.**

**Sky: *sighs* OK,OK. Let's go get you a snack.**


	5. In your face!

**CHAPTER 5**

**Sky: I hope I can get through five chapters without messing this story up.**

**Pichu: If you mess it up and make something embarrassing happen to me, I'll kill you.**

**Sky: Calm down so I can focus on ****_not_**** messing this up.**

**Pichu: Pfft, fine.**

The Druddigon's claw flashed as it swung its claw down towards me. If I hadn't spent the last few weeks living on my nerves, I never could have dodged. I ducked and heard the claw whistle through the air less than an inch above my ears. The Druddigon looked pretty surprised that I'd avoided that, but it recovered fast and took another swing. I dodged more easily this time, with a quick jump to the side.

Its bewilderment turned quickly to fury. The Druddigon let out a roar of anger and started swinging and slicing wildly at me with frightening strength. I just kept dodging, dancing lightly from foot to foot, letting it use up all its energy... for the right moment… so I could strike. Panting with exhaustion, the Druddigon aimed one more blow. I dodged it easily. Then, one more time, I tackled it hard.

As before, it swayed back and forth, trying to keep its balance. But this time it failed to, and the mighty Druddigon fell flat on his (I say 'his' because it was a male) face and promptly fainted.

I stared at him a few seconds, pondering what to do. I decided to do the natural thing. "YAAA-HOOOO!" I screamed happily. "In your face, Druddigon! I beat ya! WOOO-HOOO! Revenge has been taken! Oh yeah!" I danced all around shouting. Then Druddigon snorted in his unconsciousness, and I stopped immediately. He'd be up soon. Quietly, I tiptoe-ran away.

Darkness was falling as I ran. I ran and ran until I was gasping for air. I stopped and looked for a place to stay for the night. I saw a nice big tree (with a Celebi's face carved in it) that cast deep shadows around it which could easily hide a small Pokémon hiding near it. I decided on there for the night. I lay down on some surprisingly soft moss at the foot of the trunk and gazed up at the sky. In the human cities, the glare of the electric lights hid the stars at night. But out here, in the forest, they were twinkling and sparkling as bright as…well, stars. As I stared up at the sky comfortably on my bed of comfy moss, my eyelids soon drooped. I was sleeping before I knew it.

**Pichu: LAME ending. The other ones were all so action-ish.**

**Sky: Well sorry, but I wanted to try out a more peaceful ending.**

**Pichu: *pleading* At LEAST put a lovely action-ish scene in the NEXT chapter… Please?*puppy eyes***

**Sky: OK, I will.**


	6. A Quick Moment Of Peace

**CHAPTER 6**

**Sky: Wow, time sure goes by fast. It's already time to start Chapter 6.**

**Pichu: If you ask me, time goes pretty slow. It's been ever so long since I last ate.**

**Sky: *suspiciously* didn't you eat only ten minutes ago?**

**Pichu: Five actually!**

**Sky: *sighs*you eat more than a Haxorus.**

**Haxorus: *indignantly* that is NOT true.**

I awoke to the sound of the wind in the trees. Was it morning already? I blearily opened one eye. I saw sunshine shining between the leaves in the tree I was below (so much for the tree blocking the sun). I cracked open my other weary eye and squinted through the sunlight. Yup, definitely morning.

I got up and stretched. I knew I had to start moving, or else I'd get pounded by all these fierce wild Pokémon that were about. I started going. Of course, I didn't just trample along loudly. That would attract a whole bunch of wild Pokémon. So instead, I scurried along stealthily, hiding when there was a noise and moving when the coast was clear. After half an hour of this routine, however, there was a slight issue. I was hiding behind a tree, my back pressed against it, listening intently, when there was a low rumbling sound nearby. I jumped in fright and looked around for attackers until I realized where the sound was coming from.

It was my stomach. It grumbled again, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in a day or two. I decided to go look for food. I climbed up the tree I was by, scrambling up on just the slenderest branches. When I got nice and high, I looked around hopefully for food. And oh joy! Hanging just a branch away were some beautiful apples. I hopped over pronto and made short work of them.

As I tossed the last core away, I watched the forest start wake up. Although most of the Pokémon remained in their hiding places, more still came out. I saw that not all of them were like the fierce Outlaws from earlier. A few Pachirisu played tag on the grass. A Frillish in a nearby pond squirted water at its friends. A few Emolga glided through the trees. It was so peaceful- OOF!

Something crashed into me and nearly sent me falling off the branch and ten feet down. But thankfully I grabbed a small knot in the trunk and steadied myself. "Sorry!" I heard a voice chirp in a friendly voice. I turned and saw that it was one of the Emolga that had been gliding around in the treetops. "I just find it hard to steer sometimes." it apologized. "My name's Spark. I was just going to land on this branch here, like I always do, but I didn't see you on it until it was too late! Sorry." Spark finished apologetically. "It's OK, I'm fine."I reassured it. It looked happier at that. "Oh, it is? But I still owe ya for almost knocking you down. If you were, say, falling to your death, just whistle three times sharp and I'll be there to catch ya! 'Till that happens, see you later!" Spark winked cheerily at me and glided off. I wasn't sure if I was gonna be falling to my death anytime soon, but it was nice to have life reassurance.

I climbed back down the tree and started moving along like before. Then I tripped on a tree root (OW) and tumbled straight into a large oak tree. But something weird happened. One minute, I was about to hit my head on the trunk, and the next minute I suddenly found myself falling through complete darkness.

**Pichu:*grumpily* How is 'falling into darkness' an action scene?**

**Sky: This is just a quick break. The action's in the next chapter.**

**Pichu: Then get typing. The suspense is killing me.**


	7. The Serperior's den

**CHAPTER 7**

**Pichu: Hey, readers! Get ready because Sky will (hopefully) put an action-ish scene in here!**

**Sky: Don't get TOO excited, Pichu. We'll just see.**

So yeah. One minute I was about to smack into a tree, and in the next I'm falling into darkness. Personally, I would've gone for the tree.

I kept myself upright as I fell, to look around me. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and it seemed to be some kind of tunnel or chute. The sides were made of shiny wood. After a few minutes the 'chute' leveled out a bit (meaning it got less steep). Now it was more like a slide. I slid down the sides, unable to stop or anything because the walls were slippery. Then, poof, I popped out of a hole at the end of the 'chute' and onto grass.

Wait…grass? But how? Shouldn't I have been underground or something? I sat down and tried to figure it out. Then I got a solution. Of course! The tree I crashed into must have had a trapdoor on it. I'd fallen through, and the chute thingy had carried me down, then a little upwards as it leveled out, and then into… where exactly was I anyway?

I looked around. It looked like some kind of small (but not too small) cave, with shadowy corners, only the walls were woven from roots and leaves and the ground was grassy. Sunlight filtered through holes in the tightly woven roots on the ceiling. So it must be a den of some kind. Uh-oh. A den was bad news, because little hideouts like this usually had nasty Pokémon living in it.

Then _something_ moved suddenly in the shadows at the back of the 'cave'. I jumped in fright. A pair of reddish eyes glared at me from the shadows. I heard a sound like something slithering over leaves. As whatever-it-was came into a little patch of sunlight, I saw it was a Serperior. Who did _not_ look pleased.

"What are you doing here?" it spoke suddenly and harshly, its voice identifying it as female. "Nothing." I replied cheekily. She huffed crossly. "How did you find the trapdoor to my secret place? Speak quickly, or I'll kill you."" I tripped on a root and smacked into the tree." I replied. The Serperior rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Are you THAT clumsy? Anyhow, you know what the price for entering my home is, runt?" "Nope." I said sheepishly. The Serperior reared up, preparing to strike. "The price;" she hissed, "Is DEATH."

**Pichu: Woo-hoo! Action-fighting scene time!**

**Sky: Shh, Pichu. Let the readers continue.**

The Serperior lunged forward, trying for a Slam. I jumped quickly to the side, so only her tail grazed my arm lightly. But the Serperior was even faster. Swiftly, she executed a perfect Leaf Tornado. Sharp leaves whirled around me, stinging my skin and knocking me over. The Serperior smirked. "Giving up already?" she teased. I stood up and gave her my annoying smile. "Giving up? I thought we were just getting warmed up! That the best you got?" I challenged.

Her eyes narrowed in anger. She lunged again. And again. But this time I knew what to do. I dodged from side to side, making it look like I was only trying to evade her. "You can't avoid me forever!" she snarled as I dodged again; "I have more speed than you and you know it!" But what she didn't know was that my strategy hadn't been to evade her. This whole time, I'd just been stalling so I charge up my electricity, for this one move…

I gave the Serperior my naughtiest smile. "Nah nah ne nah, you are a fatty." I teased. For a moment she was utterly speechless with anger. Perfect opportunity. I unleashed a nice strong Thunder Wave before she could do anything or fight it off. Within seconds she was paralyzed.

I walked up to the now-paralyzed-Serperior and smirked. "Speed doesn't do you much good if you can't use it." I Tackled it hard to finish it off. I didn't KILL it, of course. I just knocked it out.

**Sky: Technically, a Pichu can't learn Tackle. **

**Pichu:*stubbornly* Says who I can't learn Tackle? I can use any moves I want to. **

Suddenly the world started spinning and went blurry. What was going on? An intense pain was throbbing somewhere on my right arm. I looked at it. There was a light graze there from earlier in the battle. But now the small wound was purple around the edges. Poison. But how would a Serperior have that ability?

A stronger Pokémon could easily fight off poison and stand strong. But I was exhausted and hungry. I knew that I couldn't last and would probably die. 

I leaned against a wall for support. It collapsed and I fell backwards onto the grass. Another trapdoor, probably the exit to the Serperior's den.

I staggered to my feet and tried to keep my balance as the world spun from the poison. I tried to move, to get going. I tried my hardest, despite the poison which now coursed rapidly through my veins. I managed to reach the tree I had slept by the night after the Druddigon attack, the large one with the Celebi's face carved in it. I barely managed to reach the tree before I collapsed at the foot of the trunk and fell into unconsciousness.

**Sky: Ta-da! Sorry for the delay on this chapter.**

**Pichu: You better be. Is it time to eat yet?**

**Sky:*sighs* Oh for Arceus's sake...**


	8. Help from a complete stranger

**CHAPTER 8**

**Sky: Hey readers! Um…where's Pichu?**

**Pichu:*appears quickly* here!**

**Sky: Where have you been?**

**Pichu: *innocently*I certainly haven't been eating cake at Silv's house…**

**Sky: Oh yes you have. I can see crumbs around your mouth. **

**Pichu: Don't worry; I didn't pick any fights with Haxorus.**

**Sky:*sighs* All right then, I believe you. But next time tell me first before you go off randomly.**

I woke up, which was a surprise. I thought I was dead by now. I could still feel that I was poisoned, though. I could feel a strange tingling in my arm where the sting was. I looked at it and almost passed out again from surprise.

Little green sparks were dancing around the wound, and as I looked, the wound lost its purply tinge and shrank. I looked up. A trail of those little green sparks was streaming down the tree trunk from the Celebi's carved face, which was glowing. I felt the poison receding from my system, and the wound disappeared. The sparks disappeared too, and the Celebi's face stopped glowing.

"Was that a hallucination?"I wondered aloud. Maybe the tree had healing properties or something. Anyhow, no time to worry about that, now. Now was the time to get some FOOD.

I looked around and found some Oran and Pecha berries on one of the bushes. I grabbed some and sat down on the grass to enjoy them. Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes. I jumped, startled, and faced the source of the noise. The bushes rustled again, louder.

A voice yelled from the bushes, "Sand-attack!" hot, gritty sand flew out and blinded me. I coughed and rubbed it out of my eyes. When I did, I saw that a Poochyena was picking up all my berries and was about to make off with them into some bushes. "Hey!" I yelled in protest as I ran after it. It used Bite. "YOW!" I yelled. But in the process it dropped an Oran berry. I swooped down and grabbed it.

"Hey Weirdo! Give that back!"It yelled. I didn't listen. I was tired and hungry and wasn't in the mood for another fight. I decided to get some assistance so I wouldn't have to. There was a big group of Pokémon passing by. I made a beeline for the biggest-looking one, a Haxorus.

"Hey mister Haxorus."I said to him. He glanced down and saw me. "Who or what are you?" he asked.

"I'm Pichu. I got here by accident. And I'm hungry. And a stupid Poochyena has been chasing me and stealing my Oran and Pecha Berries." I said.

"Right. Where's that Poochyena." Haxorus asked.

I pointed to the clump of bushes.

He walked there next to me.

"HEY WEIRD CREATURE GIMME- oh... Goodbye." The Poochyena said, seeing the Haxorus. He left in a hurry and forgot the berries.

I felt that I owed the big guy something."If you're ever in trouble call me and I'll help!" I said happily, scooping up my berries.

"What can you do?" He asked.

"I defeated a Serperior and a Druddigon. I'm sure I can think of something." I said cheerfully before scampering off.

**Sky: *sighs* Time passes by so fast. We're already done with chapter 8.**

**Pichu: We're _only_ on chapter 8?! I thought we were on chapter 56 or something!**

**Sky: *startled*Why on earth would you think that?**

**Pichu: *shrugs* I dunno.**


	9. Sky's Pichu meets Silver's Chosen Ones

**CHAPTER 9**

**Sky: Hey readers! I don't own Pokémon. **

**Pichu:*holding a humongous cookie* I don't either- but I ****_do_**** own this cookie! *nibbles***

**Sky: Haven't you finished that cookie yet?**

**Pichu: No. *nibbles***

I headed back to the Celebi tree and sat down for a nice little picnic with my berries. But just as I finished the last Oran berry, I heard some loud noises. Kind of like a big group of Pokémon coming my way. I hid quickly behind a clump of leaves and listened.

I peeked through the leaves and saw a Braviary, a Persian, a Lucario, a Salamence, a Zoroark, a Charizard, a Garchomp, and the Haxorus from earlier. The Braviary was yelping as they weaved through the trees towards Celebi's tree. From the way they seemed uncomfortable here, I could tell that the Persian and the Braviary weren't Outlaws.

"Ow! Ouch! Yikes." Braviary yelped.  
"Shut up. Do you wanna get us murdered by outlaws?" the Salamence snapped.  
"Why are you so vulgar? Why is everyone here so violent?" Braviary asked.

"We are highly ranked Outlaws. You are in a place that normally only outlaws survive in. I guess you two are the only ones that are non-outlaws" the Haxorus said as he sat next to the tree, not too far away from me.

"What about me?" I asked, popping out of my hiding place.

He glared at me.

"You again!" He said.

"Yes. You have a problem?" I asked innocently.

"Yeah." he replied

"Which is?" I asked

"YOU!" he replied.

"What are you doing here." The Lucario interrupted.

"That's my home." I replied. Which was true. This tree was the most 'home' I'd ever had.

"No" the Lucario began.

"outlaw" Haxorus continued.

"is allowed" the Garchomp continued.

"to" the Salamence continued

"live" the Zoroark said.

"HERE." The Charizard finished.

"xcept I'm no outlaw." I informed them.

"You told me you defeated a Druddigon and a Serperior." Haxorus said with a big grin.

"What about it?" I laughed.

"We battle non-outlaws. Can you defeat all of us?" the Charizard asked.

"No." I admitted. Then I got hopeful. "Hey, can you tell me how to become an outlaw?" I asked.

"Yeah..." Haxorus replied. He wrote some rapid instructions on a blade of grass.  
"You'll have to agree to the code of honor." he said.

"One of them is to attack the non-outlaws. But to help those who want to become outlaws." the Garchomp laughed.  
"Then why did a Sneasel, a Druddigon and a Serperior attack me?" I asked. They hadn't exactly been very helpful.  
"You musta done something to them." the Charizard pointed out.

"Good point!" I muttered, remembering how I'd barged into Sneasel's home, kicked Druddigon's head and fallen into Serperior's den without asking. No wonder they'd been so cross.

Haxorus scrambled on Charizard's back. Lucario on Garchomp's, Zoroark on Salamence's, Persian on Braviary's. They flew off so fast; they were gone before I could blink.

I looked closely at the blade of grass Haxorus had scribbled on. I kinda expected it to have some awesomely helpful info on it. But all it said on it was 'Don't pick fights if you are a weakling.' Was that it? Well, that was helpful. I tied the blade of grass around my wrist in case I needed it later.

I remembered that Hax had said, to become an Outlaw, I needed to agree to the Code of Honor or something. But who did I need to agree _to_? I thought about it for a sec before I hit a good solution. Of course! All I had to do was ask one of the outlaws around here, and they'd probably know. Otherwise they wouldn't be Outlaws.

I set off in search of an Outlaw. I thought it would be easy, considering that this was the Outlaw's forest. But no, all the Outlaws were probably taking a day off or something, because I couldn't find a single one.

After about half an hour I saw a Staraptor sitting on a high branch on an oak tree. I jumped up and down, yelling to get its attention. "Hey! You up there! Yes, you! Down here!" The Staraptor heard me and glared down at me. "I don't talk to non-outlaws." It said coldly, its voice identifying it as a male. I got frustrated and yelled, "I'm trying to _become_ an outlaw, you dimwit, so get your feathery *** down here and help me!"

The Staraptor looked pretty shocked to be addressed that way by a tiny Pichu. It flapped down a few branches so that it could hear me without me yelling. "What do you want? This better be good." It snapped. I looked it in the eye and said, "I need to know where to agree to the Code of Honour so I can fully become an Outlaw."

The Staraptor busted out laughing at that. "Seriously? You want to be*snicker* an _Outlaw_? I mean…*laugh* you're just so…*more laughter *_tiny_."

I glared and gave him a nice strong Thundershock.

"Ow!" the Staraptor yelped in complaint. He scowled at me. And then sighed. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Yup." I replied happily.

The Staraptor got a crafty look in his eye. "Well…thing is, I don't really give away info like this for _free_."

I rolled my eyes. "What's the deal?"

He smirked. "Beat me in a battle, and I'll point you in the right direction. Not that you'll beat _me_, anyhow."

I met his smirk with a naughty smile."Deal."

**Pichu: *still nibbling cookie***

**Sky: Pichu, are you seriously still finishing that cookie?**

**Pichu: I'm not _finishing_ it…I've just started it. *nibbles***


	10. Pichu vs Staraptor

**CHAPTER 10**

**Sky: Hi, readers! I don't own Pokémon. **

**Pichu: *STILL nibbling cookie***

**Sky: *exasperatedly* OK, Pichu, this is just getting ridiculous. Just EAT the cookie already.**

**Pichu: I ****_am _****eating it. *nibbles again***

Me and the Staraptor decided to have our fight in a small clearing, which would serve as an arena. On one side of the 'arena', the Staraptor got himself into a battle stance. On the other side I was doing the same.

The Staraptor smirked at me. "Scared?" he teased. I smiled mischievously."Scared? No way! What kind of person is too scared to fight an overgrown chicken like you?"

The Staraptor's eyes narrowed in hatred. It lunged forward, using Agility to be faster than it actually was. I dodged and made a silly face at it, sticking out my tongue. "Nah nah ne nah nah! You can't catch me!" I yelled teasingly. It rose into the air and dived down using Aerial Ace. I dodged again. "You can't run forever!" he yelled in frustration. "I'll just keep diving at you until you can't dodge anymore! Plus, you can't attack me because _I'm_ not on the ground!" That was where he made his fatal mistake. His last comment had given me an amazing idea. If I could _just_ get it to work…

He rose up and lunged again and again, using Aerial Ace. I dodged and dodged, pretending at times that I was getting tired or injured. But I wasn't. I was sparking with energy, waiting for the time to strike. He prepared to dive again, this time with Brave Bird. Perfect. I braced myself and let it hit me.

The sheer force of it would have knocked me out if I hadn't braced myself first. The collision sent me flying backwards to hit a tree at the edge of the clearing. I slid down to the bottom, pretending to gasp heavily with pain while I was actually completely fine. The Staraptor was panting too from frequent attacking, but otherwise it looked triumphant.

"Ha! I *gasp* told you that you couldn't *pant* dodge me forever!" he crowed triumphantly. I got to my feet and gave him my most annoying smile, the cocky, mischievous one that drives people crazy. His confidence wavered a little at the sight of it. "Why are you_ smiling?_ I'm about to strike you down and knock you out! And you won't be able to do anything about it because I'm not on the ground!" he yelled. My smirk didn't falter.

The Staraptor huffed crossly and started charging up another Brave Bird. He rose into the air and dived, aiming straight for me. I didn't move. He was getting closer. I still didn't move. And then, when the Staraptor was less than a millisecond away, I leaped to the right just as he smacked into the tree I'd been standing in front of a millisecond before.

The Staraptor now lay dazed on the ground. I walked over to it and smirked down at him. "_Now_ you're on the ground." I remarked. He attempted feebly to get up. I paralyzed him with a Thunder Wave. "Now _talk_. " I snapped.

He got up and sighed in defeat. "Well, seeing that you beat me, looks like I'll hafta spill the beans. Truth is, there are a very few Pokémon round here that can verify your Code of Honor and officially let you into our ranks. Even _I_ haven't seen all of them, and I've been exploring this place since I was a Starly." he admitted. "But is there anybody you know who can? Who made _you_ an Outlaw?" I pressed. He replied, "I became an Outlaw thanks to a Serperior. Lives in a den. Entrance is in a tree not too far from here." "Oh great" I muttered, remembering the Serperior.

**Sky: Wow! Ten chapters are gone already!**

**Pichu: Yes, they are…but this cookie isn't! *nibbles cookie***

**Sky: *groans* here we go again.**


	11. Becoming an Outlaw- almost

**CHAPTER 11**

**Sky: 'Sup, readers? I don't own Pokémon.**

**Pichu: *still nibbling cookie***

**Sky: *kindly*You need help finishing that, Pichu?**

**Pichu:*stubbornly* No. *goes back to nibbling***

I thanked the Staraptor and went off to find the tree. I knocked sharply on the trapdoor five times. It opened. A pair of familiar red eyes glared out at me. "What do YOU want?" Serperior snapped in an annoyed way.

"To become an Outlaw." I replied. Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Yup." I replied. She hesitated, her eyes sweeping over me. Then her eyes caught on something, and unexpectedly, she smiled. "I see. You _did_ defeat me, after all. It's not a surprise you were recommended." She said in a kind, musical voice. "Recommended?'" I repeated in surprise.

Using her tail, she gestured at the blade of grass I'd tied around my wrist earlier; the one Haxorus had given me. "Whenever we Outlaws find especially talented recruits, we give them a blade of grass with some advice on it so other Outlaws recognize them as allies. Obviously, whoever gave that to you thought you'd make a great outlaw." she said softly. I felt a sudden surge of gratitude for Haxorus.

"So how do I become an Outlaw?" I asked her. Before she could reply, I heard a voice shouting. "HEY WILD POKÉMON. YOU'D BETTER COME OUT NOW OR WE WILL MAKE YOU. YOU **CKING BAST**** THAT CALL THEMSELVES POKÉMON." A voice yelled using a microphone. A _human_ voice. Uh-oh. We needed to hide.

At the sound of the voice, Serperior's eyes narrowed in absolute hatred. She made a low snarling sound in her throat. A fire of fury seemed to flicker in her eyes. I took a step back quickly, startled by her sudden transformation. But when she turned to me, her face was normal again, thank Arceus. She looked worried. "I can hear that there's more than one human here. We need to get the wild Pokémon to safety." She said. I nodded in agreement. Not all the Pokémon 'round here had good hiding spots.

We went to a clearing where the little wild Pokémon were starting to panic. I saw Haxorus and felt relieved, knowing that if anyone could help, it was him. "Pokémon that live in dens. Come out I have a plan!" he said taking charge.

Two Raticate, five Absol, a Heatmor, a Ninetales a Vaporeon and Serperior (of course) stepped forward/glided forward.

"Take as many small Pokémon as you can there. Salamence go with them. Stay in touch using the Xtransiver." he commanded.

"I wanna go with Serperior!" I whined. I'd just _found _Serperior, for heaven's sake, and if I got stuck with someone else then it would be forever until I became an Outlaw.

"Then go!" Salamence snapped as he ushered me off.

We went back to Serperior's den followed by some scared little Pokémon. When we got there, Serperior curled her body protectively around the little ones. I stood back unsurely, remembering my poisoning earlier.

Serperior saw me and seemed to read my thoughts, because she said; "Don't worry, Pichu. It's true, my ability is Poison Point, but it's switched off right now." I relaxed at this and snuggled against her.

After a little while we heard loud footsteps. We all got tense as the footsteps stopped not too far away.

"Where are the Pokémon? I don't see a single one!" A brattish voice said.

"You are right Dalgia. Normally this place is filled with wild and strong Pokémon.'' a different, more feminine voice said.

Serperior next to me stiffened at the mention of Dalgia (whoever that was).

"Hey Officer Jenny! Why don't we go get some stuff and stay here for a couple of days?" Dalgia suggested.

A third voice agreed.

Their loud stamps moved away.

I got worried at that. If they were camping here, how were we gonna go out and get food? Come to think of it, I was pretty hungry. My stomach grumbled a little as we waited.

The trapdoor was flung open suddenly. Serperior uncoiled herself from us and used Slam on the intruder.

"I'm Haxorus." I heard a familiar voice say.

"Sorry." apologized Serperior.

"Here are some berries."

"FOOD!" I screamed happily.

Haxorus gave a short clipped laugh.

"Why don't we fight back." Serperior asked as she coiled protectively around the little Pokémon again.

"We'll be met by more trainers and more pain. Let them think we abandoned our home." he replied.

"Who's the trainer?" Serperior asked cautiously.

"Someone called Dalgia."

-insert your choice of swear words here-

Hax laughed the clipped laugh again.

"Know him?"

"Yes, bad experience with him when I was a Snivy."

"You aren't the only one to have had experiences with him." he replied bitterly.

"You too?"

"Yes."

Serperior didn't say anything so Haxorus left silently.

After he left, I snuggled up to Serperior again. "You had a rough past?" I whispered.

"Yes" she whispered back.

We sat there side by side in the dim light. One by one the little wild Pokémon fell asleep.

And eventually, we did too.

**Sky: *looks like she is going psycho* Pichu, the sound of your nibbling is REALLY driving me crazy.**

**Pichu: *looks up from cookie innocently* SO sorry for that…*begins gnawing instead***

**Sky: *in frustration* Aargh!**


	12. Becoming an Outlaw- nearly

**CHAPTER 12**

**Sky: Yup! We've almost got a dozen chapters done.**

**Pichu: Sky doesn't own Pokémon by the way. Or me. Or this cookie. *gnaws cookie***

**Sky: Nothing's new with Pichu. Still eating that cookie. **

After a little while we woke up waited in the darkness for something to happen. I heard the humans come back at one point, but a loud explosion suggested that Hax had used Draco Meteor to drive them off. That was good, but I knew that they would keep coming back. Humans were like that. And if they did, we'd eventually all get caught. But all I could do was wait.

Strange noises came from the outside. First there was a yell from a human. I guess that Hax and the gang got exposed. I think there was a bit of a scuffle. Then there was some talking. Then a bit of arguing. And then silence. After a little bit, I heard the sickening sound of something ripping. I really didn't want to know what it was.

A little while later, me, Serperior and the little wild Pokémon started to get really worried. Just as I felt like getting out there to see what was going on, the trapdoor opened. Haxorus poked his head in. "Hey Haxorus" said Serperior in greeting. I held my breath. Were the humans gone? Was everything OK? Thankfully, Haxorus laughed. "All's well that ends well!" he said as he pulled her outside.

I heard cheering. A mini-stampede occurred as all the Pokémon who were hiding around the forest, including me, scrambled outside whooping and yelling.

Haxorus laughed, pleased.

"Thanks we owe our lives to you." An Espeon said to him.

"We don't break our rules." Haxorus said simply as he climbed on Charizard's back.

"Goodbye!" he yelled as he and his friends flew off.

As I waved good-bye and all the other Pokémon went back to their dwellings, I turned to Serperior nervously. "Um, that wasn't _blood_ on Hax's claws, was it?"

"Yes it was. And if it was Dalgia's, then I am glad." She replied.

I gulped nervously.

She saw my discomfort and smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry, Pichu. We Outlaws only attack humans when necessary. And if anyone deserved to be attacked by an angry Haxorus, it was Dalgia." She said softly.

"He must be really horrible to deserve _that_." I contemplated.

"He is." said Serperior. Her face seemed to sadden a little, like she was remembering painful memories.

I watched her closely. "Was he once _your_ trainer?" I asked cautiously.

She sighed. "Yes. It has been eight long years since he caught me…" her eyes narrowed in anger for Dalgia; "…but I could _never_ forget."

"You can tell me." I said softly.

She looked at me with a small smile. "I haven't told anyone before. It is a sad tale. But I feel I can trust you, Pichu."

We went to a nearby tree to we could sit/lie down. As the blue sky of day darkened into evening, she told me her tale, of her capture, her imprisonment, and the destruction of her home.*

My eyes widened as the tale continued. When she finished, I exhaled, not realizing earlier that I'd been holding my breath in anticipation. "Wow…you've been through a lot." I said gently.

"Yes." She replied softly. Then she looked me in the eye seriously, and said the following words:-

"Pichu, I have been thinking about you. You are very unique. You in battle, intelligent in strategy, and understanding and kind as well. I admire your spirit and your sense of humor, which you can maintain even in battle. And so I have decided…"

She took a deep breath before continuing, and said:-

"…you are worthy enough to become one of us. You are worthy enough to be an Outlaw."

* * *

**Sky: Lovely ending. Nice and dramatic.**

**Pichu:*tugs on Sky's sleeve to get her attention* Hey Sky.**

**Sky: Yeah?**

**Pichu: How do the people on FanFiction know about us Pokémon? *gasps loudly* Are there SPIES?!**

**Sky: Of course not!**

**Pichu: Then how do they know?**

**Sky: They just… do. That's it.**

**Pichu: OK. *goes back to eating cookie***

* Read _The PC:- A short story_ to learn the story of the Serperior's past. It's written by the same author as this one.


	13. Becoming an Outlaw- for REAL this time

**CHAPTER 13**

**Sky: Happy New Year everybody!**

**Pichu: *wearing a party hat*Why do I hafta wear this again?**

**Sky: Because it's New Year's Eve.**

**Pichu: What's that?**

**Sky: A celebration for a new year.**

**Pichu: Does that mean I get a new cookie? I've finished the old one. I want one to last all year.**

**Sky: We'll see.**

**Pichu: HURRAH!**

I was speechless for a moment. _I_ was worthy enough to become an Outlaw? I _was_? Me?

I let out a squeal of excitement and started dancing all around happily. "YIPPEE!" I yelled in joy.

Serperior laughed to see me so happy. Her sadness that had lingered during her story disappeared.

I started bombarding her with questions. "When can I officially become an Outlaw? Where do I needa be? Can we do it now? What do I have to do? How-"

She interrupted me with a laugh. "Easy there, Pichu! All will be revealed in the morning. Go to sleep."

I hadn't noticed that it was now night time. The sky was blue-black and the stars glittered above.

We decided to just spend the night under this tree. Serperior curled up into a spiral and closed her eyes.

I lay on my back and watched the stars. There were so many, more than I'd ever seen. I tried to count them, but I soon dropped off to sleep.

* * *

I was wakened the next morning by a small breeze that brushed by the side of my face. I opened my eyes and got up with a yawn.

Serperior was already up. She saw I was awake and smiled.

"Breakfast time" she said cheerily, gesturing to a small pile of berries next to her.

We shared the berries. Serperior ate about 4/20 berries. I ate the rest.

As we ate, I studied Serperior closely. I still couldn't believe that my enemy a few days before was now my ally today. But then again, things can change.

When we finished, Serperior explained; "To become an Outlaw (officially), you first need to be in the most sacred spot in this forest. Which is-"

"-the sacred tree with the Celebi's picture." I finished.

She nodded. "Right. Let's go there now."

We walked there. Luckily, it wasn't that far.

I stood at the foot of the tree, looking up at the Celebi's carven face. It seemed peaceful and wise.

"Just wondering…" Serperior said cautiously, slithering up to me; "…what's your name?"

I stiffened involuntarily at that. I hadn't told anybody my real name before.

"It's OK" said Serperior comfortingly. "You can trust me."

I thought a little about that. I hadn't known Serperior for too long. But still, she was really nice, and she'd told me her whole background story even though it was painful. Because she trusted me.

"Zap." I said hesitantly. "That's my name. Zap."

She smiled. "It suits you. What moves do you know?"

"Thundershock, Thunder Wave, Tackle, and Quick Attack." I said quickly.

She looked a bit confused at that. "Thundershock and Thunder Wave I can understand…but how on earth did you learn Tackle? And I thought that you can only use Quick Attack when you're a Pikachu?"

"I'm not sure why I know Tackle." I confessed. "But the reason why I can use Quick Attack is because…"

**Pichu: Hey readers: - here's a li'l secret you didn't know about me before.**

**Sky: Pichu! Stop interrupting chapters!**

"…of_ this_." I revealed that I wore a black string around my neck. And on the end of it, like a necklace, was…

…an Everstone.

**Pichu: *blurts out suddenly* An Everstone is an item to be held by a Pokémon. The Pokémon holding that peculiar stone is prevented from evolving. **

**Sky: PICHU! What did I tell you about doing that?**

**Pichu: *sulkily* sorry Sky…**

Serperior's eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is? "

I nodded, a little embarrassed. "I'm scared of evolving." I admitted.

I thought Serperior would laugh at me. But instead, she slithered closer and nuzzled me comfortingly.

"It's OK" she whispered. "I understand."

Then she looked up at the sky, a look of worry on her face. "It's almost time."

I hadn't noticed that it was now late afternoon. The sun had begun to dip towards the horizon.

She looked at me seriously. "Are you ready to become one of us?"

I nodded. "Yes."

First, she made me stand in front of the Celebi tree. Next, she took the blade of grass Hax had given me earlier and laid it at the foot of the trunk.

"Why do you needa do that?" I inquired curiously.

"This blade of grass here was Haxorus's recommendation to make you an Outlaw. We will see if this recommendation is…accepted." She explained.

I gulped. "Accepted by who?"

She just smiled mysteriously. "You'll see."

Then, using a stick, she drew a circle in the grass around me. She nodded at it in satisfaction and said, "My work here is done." Then she slithered to the side of the tree, watching to see what would happen next.

As I stood in front of the tree, I saw something weird.

The sun was setting on one side of the horizon, and the moon was rising on the other at the same time. That was regular. But the weird part was that, the tree blocked most of my vision, in a way that it looked like day and night were happening at the same time: the sun on one side of the tree, the moon on the other.

Suddenly, the circle Serperior had drawn around me glowed a mystical green. I yelped and jumped a little in surprise.

"Don't!" yelled Serperior somewhere off to my right. "Whatever you do, don't leave the circle."

Every instinct I had told me to run. But I forced myself not to and stayed in the circle.

The Celebi's face carved on the tree glowed, brighter than I'd ever seen. Little green sparks danced in the air like little fireflies. The circle glowed so brightly, I could see little green flames leaping in it.

I could feel the pressure of power in the air. It grew stronger and stronger until it was almost unbearable. The sparks danced faster and faster. The glow grew even brighter and brighter.

"What's _haaappeniiiinnng_?!" I screamed.

Then everything went black.

**Pichu: Oooh…thirteen chapters done…Sky, is that unlucky?**

**Sky: 'Course not. That's just a silly superstition.**

**Pichu:*sighs in relief* Phew. Cuz' I thought I would get unlucky and get in trouble for eating all the cookies that Sky's mom made today…**

**Sky: YOU DID WHAT?!**

**Pichu: *looks sheepish*Oops. Did I say that last part out loud?**


	14. An Old Friend and An Old Enemy

**CHAPTER 14**

**Sky: Hey there readers! How are you-**

**Pichu: *screams suddenly and hugs Sky* SKY!**

**Sky:*startled*ACK! What's going on?!*sees Pichu* Oh, it's just you, Pichu! What's the matter?**

**Pichu: *still holding on to Sky* You didn't post for SO LONG! WHERE WERE YOU?!**

**Sky: School.**

**Pichu: Oh.**

I woke up to something tickling my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw Serperior leaning over me, looking concerned. She was using a leaf to wake me up, which was what was tickling my cheek.

I swatted the leaf away and got up, stretching and yawning. Serperior looked relieved. "You were asleep for a long time. It's already the next morning." She explained.

I looked around and saw that the circle Serperior had drawn earlier was gone. The blade of grass was gone too. "What happened?" I asked drowsily, remembering the weird stuff last night.

She smiled and replied, "That was the Outlaw initiation ceremony, my _fellow Outlaw_." It took me a minute to comprehend what she'd just said. My eyes grew wide in astonishment. "I'm -" I started. "-an Outlaw now?" finished Serperior. She laughed, her clear, musical voice piercing the morning air. "Yes, Zap, you are."

I was so surprised and happy and excited and amazed by this that all I could say was "Wow."

My moment of bliss was interrupted suddenly when an Emolga swooped down to us. I recognized him instantly (from Chapter 6. If you haven't read it then READ IT.).

"Spark? That you?" I asked. He grinned at me and replied. "Yo, Pichu! Great to see ya."

"I'm an Outlaw now." I informed him proudly. He nodded in approval. "Good job, kiddo! You've sure got the spirit for it."

Spark turned to Serperior with a grim look on his face. "I've got a message for you, Serperior. It's from Ragigon (pronounced: rage-ih-gone). He wants you down at the Central Clearing, pronto."

"What does he want?" Serperior said, sounding tense.

Spark shrugged. "I dunno. He looked pretty mad, so I thought I'd better not ask."

Serperior sighed and turned to me. "I'd better go sort this out. Wait here." She started to leave.

"Uh, Serperior?" Spark called out after her.

"Yeah?" she said turning around.

"Unh…he said he wants _both_ of you to come. Especially Pichu. Ragigon sounded like he had something personal against Pichu or something." Sparks said nervously.

"I'll come." I said, jumping up eagerly. I turned to Spark. "By the way, my name's Zap."

Spark grinned. "Cool name." Then his face looked crestfallen. "What Ragigon has against a nice guy like you, I don't know…"

I said bye to Spark as Serperior led the way to the Central Clearing, which apparently was a common meeting area in the forest. When we arrived, I stopped suddenly and stared.

The Central Clearing was a really big clearing (well, what did you expect it to be?), and was surrounded by trees with their branches curving in to form a dome over it. Little flowers bloomed around the edges, giving it a peaceful atmosphere.

But that wasn't what I was staring at.

I was staring at the extremely angry-looking Druddigon standing right in the middle of the place.

An extremely _familiar_ angry-looking Druddigon.

Uh-oh, I was in for it now.

"HEY YOU! LITTLE RUNT!" Ragigon yelled when he saw me.

"Ever heard of a simple 'hello'? I grumbled quietly to myself.

Ragigon stormed over. "I WANT A REMATCH!" he bellowed.

"No need to yell! I'm _standing_ right here, man." I complained.

He looked pretty mad now. "YOU PUNY WEAKLING! I'M GONNA-"

"Ragigon! That is no way to talk to a fellow Outlaw." interrupted Serperior sternly.

Ragigon staggered back a few steps in surprise. "A little runt like you…an _Outlaw_?" he said in shock.

"Oh for Arceus's sake. I have a NAME you know. Stop calling me a runt." I yelled.

Ragigon turned to me with a smirk. "And what exactly is your name? Scrawny Shrimp? Or Cowardly _Runt_?"

I am REALLY getting tired of him calling me a runt. I tried to resist zapping him with a Thundershock.

"My name;" I said calmly; "is Zap. But yours should be Fathead."

Ragigon roared and charged at me. Serperior stopped him just in time.

"Now, you two." said Serperior firmly, "Let's not get into any fights _just_ yet. Let's do this the civil way, shall we?"

She stood Ragigon on one side of the clearing and me on the other.

"None of you are allowed to make a move until the referee tells them to. I'll be the ref. When I signal, you both can start. Keep the battle within the limits of the clearing. First one KO'd (Knocked Out) loses." Serperior announced.

"OK." Ragigon and I agreed.

"And NO KILLING!" yelled Serperior, particularly to Ragigon.

"Aw_ maaannn_!" whined Ragigon.

I stared at him. "Man, you have serious issues."

"But before we start…" Serperior said before pausing. She whistled loudly and shouted, "EVERYONE! REAL OUTLAW BATTLE AT THE CENTRAL CLEARING!"

Within minutes, the clearing was surrounded by interested Outlaws who seemed to pour out of every nook and cranny. They looked excited about witnessing a real Outlaw battle.

I instantly recognized a few among them- Spark watching from a tree branch ("Go get 'em, Zap!" he yelled in encouragement), Staraptor perched on a bush, even the Sneasel from ages ago, leaning against a tree and giving me a dirty look.

"OK, everyone! Welcome to this REAL Outlaw battle!" Serperior said in a wrestling announcer kind of voice.

"In the…err…(what do you call it?)left corner, we have…(dramatic pause)… RAGIGON, THE DRUDDIGON!" Serperior announced. The audience cheered. Ragigon looked smug.

"And…in the right corner, we have…the amazing….the swift… (even MORE dramatic pause)… ZAP, THE PICHU!" Serperior announced. The audience cheered again, Spark leading the applause. I blushed shyly at all the attention.

"I will be today's referee. Any questions before we begin?" Serperior asked the 'audience'.

"Why is that Pichu an Outlaw now?" whined Sneasel.

"Because he was accepted by the sacred tree. Next?"

"What's 1+1?" squeaked a Ratatta.

"2. Any other questions?"

"Can we have some background music?" squealed a Minccino in excitement. Other Pokémon nodded and muttered in agreement.

"Of course!" said Serperior with a smile. "I'd almost forgotten about the music! Can someone get the radio?"

Two Lillipups left and returned dragging a small, battered, old -fashioned radio. Serperior adjusted the antenna on it and turned it on.

Justin Bieber's 'Baby' started playing. Everybody groaned and covered their ears (no offense, Justin Bieber fangirls).

"CHANGE IT!" we all screamed.

"OK OK! I'm _trying_. Kinda hard when you don't have hands, ya know." Serperior grumbled. She flicked the dial using the tip of her tail.

'We will be heroes' (the Pokérap) came on. Everybody sighed in relief.

"Now that that's over, let the match…BEGIN!" yelled Serperior.

**Sky: *typing new draft on computer***

**Pichu: *mischievously sets fire to Staraptor's tail feathers while he isn't looking***

**Staraptor: What the…ACK! I'm on fire!*runs around in circles screaming***

**Ragigon:*gets bucket of water* I'll help! **

*** Ragigon tries to put out fire but accidentally dumps water on Sky * **

**Sky: Whaa-HEY! What's going on here!?**

**Ragigon: I was trying to help!**

**Pichu: I'm innocent!**

**Staraptor: I'M ON FIRE!**

**Serperior: Allow me to take care of this. *uses Leaf Tornado on Staraptor***

**Staraptor: Neat! The tornado put out my fire!**

**Serperior: Yeah…but now all those leaves are on fire.**

**Everybody: AARRGGHHH! **


	15. The Rematch

**CHAPTER 15**

**Pichu: Hi readers! *nibbles cookie***

**Sky:*suspiciously* Where did you get that cookie from?**

**Pichu: *lowers voice* Shh…don't tell anyone, but I stole it from PokéMasterRed's Mew. **

**Mew: *angrily* I HEARD THAT!**

**Pichu:*guiltily* Whoops.**

***Pichu and Mew start fighting***

* * *

Ragigon lunged at me instantly with a glowing Dragon Claw. I just barely dodged it.

I launched a ThunderShock at him. It hit him square in the chest, which should have done some decent damage.

But, to my surprise, it barely affected him. He just roared angrily and launched himself at me with Night Slash. I ducked and felt it swoosh over my head.

A Tackle wasn't going to work this time, I could tell. He'd obviously been training recently, because he seemed stronger.

He kept on slashing at me with alternating Dragon Claws and Night Claws, so his defense was pretty tight. I wouldn't be able to get close enough to paralyze him with Thunder Wave, and electric moves didn't seem to affect him anyway.

My mind scrambled frantically for an idea. _He's a lot stronger than last time. What am I gonna do!? I need a new strategy; I need a new strategy…_

Then an idea suddenly hit me with the force of a hurricane.

Most Druddigons could learn Outrage, couldn't they?

If I could just get it to work…

This was going to have to be quick, though. I was getting tired from the dodging, and if I didn't weaken Ragigon soon, then I'd be a goner.

But first, I needed to get him mad.

Easy, considering it was me.

I pulled a face at him, sticking out my tongue. "Nah nah ne nah, you can't catch me!"

He started looking mad, but not mad enough.

I hurled random insults at him. "Bighead! Scatterbrain!" Dumbo!"

He looked ready to pulverize me. Still not mad enough.

"Cuckoobrain! Scumbag! _FatHead_!"

That last one completely did it in for him.

He ROARED (the sound, not the move) in complete fury and glowed red-hot. Fireballs exploded off of him and headed straight for me.

Outrage.

I quickly flattened myself to the ground. Not a moment too soon- A fireball whistled over the place where my head had been seconds before.

_One more dodge, _I told myself. _One more dodge and I can win this._

I scrambled up and faced Ragigon with a defiant grin. "Hey, FatHead! That all you got?'

Ragigon sneered. "Do you _want_ death, twerp? There's no way you can win this."

I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically; "Yeah, right, and I'm an Arceus."

Ragigon's red, spiky head seemed to turn purple in fury. He glowed again, this time white-hot.

_Get ready,_ I thought to myself. _Every second matters._

"_ROOOAAAARRRR!" _he screamed, and the fireballs exploded out, this time in every direction you could imagine.

Yeah…I guess that's where everything went wrong.

You see, the fireballs aren't supposed to go crazy like that; they're supposed to fly straight towards the opponent.

Unless, of course, the particular Pokémon _using _Outrage just _happened_ to be angry beyond reckoning…

Oops.

Blazing fireballs shot towards me from every direction at lightning speed. I ducked one, dodged another, jumped over another…

…but there were too many.

A huge, white-hot fireball hit the ground right I front of me, just like that Draco Meteor a few days ago.

_Not again_; I groaned inwardly as the whole world seemed to explode white around me.

I was sent flying back through the air, across the clearing, until I and slammed hard into a huge tree.

Oww…

I slid to the bottom of the trunk, gasping for breath. My head ached and the world was spinning before my eyes.

I tried to get up, but fell back again, dazed.

_No,_ I thought desperately. _Can't…let Ragigon…win…_

A deep rumbling noise came to my ears. _Just great,_ I thought glumly. _That's probably Ragigon coming to finish me off. Some great Outlaw I am_…

I closed my eyes and braced myself.

But the blow never came.

I opened an eye, confused. Huh?

Ragigon was on the other side of the clearing, boasting stuff to the crowd like: 'See? No one can beat me!'

Then where did that rumbling come from?

At the edge of my vision, something beckoned to me, trying to get my attention.

My head still throbbed like crazy, but I managed to turn a little to look.

There, standing in the shadows a little beyond the tree, barely visible but for gleaming, icy silver-blue eyes, was Sneasel.

_The_ Sneasel, the one who'd threatened me all that time ago.

He was staring right at me. Then, in one slight, tiny movement, he pointed straight up.

I looked. Dark clouds were brewing above the clearing. _That's_ where the rumbling was coming from.

Another deep rumble sounded and a raindrop plopped down onto the tip of my nose.

A thunderstorm, then?

My spirits instantly lifted. Thunderstorms meant lightning was on the way.

I looked harder, and sure enough, the darker clouds were now positively flickering and crackling with electricity.

Perfecto.

Time to test out a little something I'd learned …

**(**Oh wait, let me explain. A long time ago, when I was little, my mother, a kind Raichu, had told me tons of myths and stories about legendary Pokémon.

I'd forgotten a lot of them by now, but there was one story, which she'd told me during a thunderstorm, that really stuck in my head.

_"You see that lightning?"_ she'd said, pointing at a bolt of electricity streaking across the sky. _"It looks too powerful to control, doesn't it? But it's actually not. Powerful, yes, but not impossible to use. Many years ago, our ancestors learned to harness its power. They loosed a bolt of their own electricity into the storms, and it would rebound, ten times more powerful. If they endured the blow, they would be able to strike more powerful than the storms themselves. It was called Thunder Armour."_**)**

Now, if I could just get this to work…

On the other side of the clearing, Ragigon was done with his bragging.

He stomped over to the tree where I lay, apparently helpless, and raised a Dragon Claw to finish the battle. I could see raindrops glinting on the edge of his claw.

Somewhere off to the side, I could hear Spark screaming; "Get up! C'mon, Zap! Get up!"

I could've moved if I wanted to, but didn't. I just stayed still.

"Any last words before I knock ya out and humiliate you, runt?" Ragigon growled.

"Just this" I said cheekily, mischievously sticking my tongue out at him.

Ragigon roared in fury and brought the claw down.

Time seemed to slow down. Ragigon's claw seemed to be coming at me in slow motion, gleaming slightly in the light from a flash of the lightning.

I could've moved anytime, dodged it easily. But I didn't.

It was three seconds away…

Two seconds away…

One second…

And then, a millisecond before it hit, Ragigon suddenly lost his balance and stumbled. His swing missed.

Ragigon looked really surprised by that, but recovered quickly. With a yell he swung at me again.

And missed.

He completely lost it, clawing and slicing and swinging, but not one shot touched me.

Suddenly he groaned and lurched off to the side, clutching his head.

"My _head_…it hurts…" he groaned. He managed to focus his eyes and look at me."What…what did you do?"

I leapt up from my place by the tree and grinned happily at Ragigon.

"News flash, Fathead." I said cheerily. "When Outrage is used several times it causes serious confusion."

He tried to lunge at me with a Superpower, but ended up just groaning and clutching his head instead.

Still, I knew this _lovely_ moment wouldn't last long. Confusion didn't usually last long with big Pokémon like Ragigon. It was only a matter of minutes until he shook it off.

I stepped towards the center of the clearing and looked up. High above my head, thunder boomed and lightning crackled.

I concentrated hard, gathering up every volt of electricity I had into one powerful Thunderbolt.

And then I let it out.

Not at Ragigon, but straight up.

The bolt streaked upwards, a single line of pure electric energy, straight into the clouds and disappeared.

For one heart-stopping moment, nothing happened at all.

And then…it came back.

It streaked straight back down, crackling with unbelievable energy. I braced myself, crouching in a defensive position.

It hit its target…me.

_BOOOMMM!_

It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was like getting battered by a hundred Regigas simultaneously and at the same time getting hit by an armored truck, but worse.

It was agony.

The whole world went from white to black to white again all at once. Jagged flashes of lightning flickered through my vision.

Even worse, a horrible coldness started spreading through my body.

_No,_ I thought desperately. _I can't go into shock - not now-_

_Must - hold on –_

Suddenly, all at once, everything cleared up. The pain faded and my vision cleared.

I opened my eyes, expecting huge amounts of pain and exhaustion.

But none came. I felt OK. Great in fact. Good enough to take another shot at Fathead.

I leapt up, ready to face my enemy.

Ragigon had just managed to shake off his confusion. Thankfully, he hadn't really noticed my lightning bolt thing.

"I don't know what you just did," he snarled, "but now you're gonna get it, you little pest!"

With a roar he shot a huge Flamethrower at me.

The fire billowed all around me. Instead of burning me badly, I hardly felt it. In fact it didn't even feel hot.

When the fire died down, Ragigon looked extremely bewildered to see me standing there unscathed.

"What…how…why -?" Suddenly, Ragigon gasped and stumbled back.

All around the clearing, the watching Outlaws gasped too. They were all staring at me in awe.

_Huh?_ I thought, confused. _What're they all staring at?_

Then I looked down at myself and gasped too.

My whole body seemed to be surrounded by a golden aura. I was _glowing._

I knew instantly from looking at myself that the lightning bolt had worked.

I had successfully created… _Thunder Armour_.

No wonder that Flamethrower hadn't hurt.

There was a dramatic, magical silence…until Ragigon broke it.

"I don't care about your ridiculous little trick with the glow." He growled. "You think you can trick _me_, runt? I'll smash you to pulp!"

"I'd like to see you try, Fathead." I grinned.

With a howl he launched a massive Flamethrower at me.

But I was ready for it. The Thunder Armour had increased my electricity by ten times. I could feel at least a billion volts tingling around my body, waiting to be fired.

So I did.

One super-powerful, ten-times-stronger-than-usual Thunderbolt went zipping through the air towards the Flamethrower.

The lightning bolt and the Flamethrower met in mid-air…

…I anxiously held my breath…

…and the Thunderbolt ripped through the flames like they were tissue paper and zipped towards Ragigon.

Ragigon's jaw dropped in shock- just as the bolt hit him in the chest.

_BOOOMMM!_

Ragigon crumpled to the ground.

My heart nearly stopped. I hadn't _killed _him, had I?

Then a loud snore from Ragigon confirmed he was alive, thank Arceus.

I'd won the match.

There was a moment of silence.

Then the crowd cheered.

Everyone was clapping, calling my name, congratulating me.

But I had eyes only for one person.

I turned to Sneasel who, still standing in the shadows, was the reason I'd won.

"Why?" I asked him breathlessly so the others wouldn't hear. "Why did you do it? Why did you help me?"

I couldn't see much of him, but his cold silver-blue eyes had an amused sort of look in them.

He tilted his head to the side, indicating the crowd. "Go." he whispered. "Celebrate your victory now. We _will _meet again."

And with that, he stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

**Sky: FINALLY! It's over! In your FACE, chapter! You are DONE FOR!**

**Zap: You're done? Thank Arceus, I thought you'd never finish. I WANT SOME FOOD NOW.**

**Sky: What're you hungry for?**

**Zap: I WANT COOKIE!**

**Sky: You just ATE one!**

**Zap: No I didn't…*hastily brushes away cookie crumbs*…and there's no proof that I did…**

**Sky: *face-palm*Oh for Arceus' sake…**


End file.
